The Sketch
by Trillian1
Summary: Shigure centered. Mit-chan goes crazy when Shigure doesn't finish his manuscript before the deadline.. however, she is certainly not the only one loosing her sanity. Completed.
1. The Sketch

[Disclaimer- Furuba isn't mine and none of the characters belong to me. Except for Akane.. but she belongs to Shigure if anyone at all.. believe me, it's not what you think. Lol]  
  
[A/N- Rated PG-13 just to be on the safe side. You know Shigure. ^_~ This was originally supposed to be very dramatic and so forth but I've realized that it is almost impossible to write a dramatic fic centered around Shigure. ::sigh:: So, you get some comedy as well]  
  
  
  
  
  
The Sketch  
  
  
  
A lovely evening, following a lovely day, covered the small town. The air was crisp, the birds were chirping, and a tortured soul fell on her knees in front of her own personal devil.  
  
"Onegai!" She broke down in tears in front of him, begging for some sort of understanding. Nothing she can possibly say will ever get through to him. There was no way to reasoning with this man. Her last resort was shameless, full-blown begging.  
  
"Mit-chan, you're making a scene.." Shigure leaned down a little and whispered to her. He then sat back on the couch and stretched his arms out.  
  
"B-but the deadline.. is tomorrow.. morning!" She managed to utter in between weeping.  
  
"It's rude to work when I have company over," he said casually, waving her away with his hand.  
  
She had been severely broken by now and only hoped for some glimmering light of rescue. "Onegai.." she said and buried her face in her hands.  
  
"Entirely over dramatic," Shigure commented to his friend.  
  
"This is sick," Hatori put out his cigarette in a nearby ashtray. "I won't let you use me as an excuse to torment this poor woman anymore." He stood up and reached for his coat.  
  
"Iie!" As if to save a life, Shigure flung himself at Hatori to prevent him from leaving.  
  
Hatori let out a frustrated sigh and announced, "I'll stay but only under one condition. If you stop this suffering and just give her the manuscript. We all know very well that you're finished with it and this is just a sick game you play."  
  
"Ha-san.. your words hurt me." Shigure pouted, seemly offended by his friend's comment. Suddenly, his eyes seemed to glow and he proudly announced, "I'll have you know that I am nowhere near finished!"  
  
Mit-chan broke down even further, if that were possible. It couldn't get any worse than this. She would loose her job and it's all because of this irresponsible jerk. She wept.  
  
Hatori crossed his arms and waited for a response from Shigure. None came. Shigure stood in his spot, shifting a bit, waiting for a response from Hatori.  
  
Mit-chan finally picked herself up from the ground and dragged her body to where she placed her bag. She gathered it up, wiped some of the running mascara off her cheek and tried to compose herself. She walked to the door and announced in the most sadistic voice either of them had ever heard her use that, "I will return promptly tomorrow morning. If this manuscript is not finished by the time I am standing at that door, you will both die a horribly excruciating death."  
  
Shigure's cigarette dropped from his ajar lips and slightly singed the carpet. Hatori's eyebrow twitched as he wondered how Shigure had gotten him a death threat. He wasn't used to being endangered by psychotic publishers.  
  
"Hai," they both said at once, in a state of trance. Mit-chan smiled an accomplished, evil little smile and proudly walked out the door.  
  
"I'll get the notes," Shigure announced, still traumatized, and dragged himself to his bedroom. Hatori plopped himself down on the couch and covered his face with his hands. He pulled out another cigarette and searched for a lighter. Shigure walked back inside with a stack of unorganized papers and placed them as neatly as possible on the coffee table in front of them.  
  
Hatori nervously chewed on his unlit cigarette and let out a panicky sigh at the sight of all the papers. "Is anything organized?" He said, past the cigarette.  
  
Shigure shook his head. "Here," he said and handed Hatori a lighter. He sat down next to him and began the process of sorting out the finished parts of the manuscript from the idea sketches and character profiles. Hatori lit his cigarette with a shaking hand, Mit-chan's threat still fresh in his mind.  
  
Shigure fished out his reading glasses and started going over some of his work. Hatori sat back on the couch and let his eyes wonder around the room for a while. His gaze finally rested on the very messy coffee table and searched trough the papers for some signs of resemblance between them. Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed a very colorful page. It had a boarder of stars around it and an occasional heart in the corner. He reached over and pulled it out from the center of a stack of papers. He looked it over and decided that it is most likely a character profile.  
  
On the right of the sheet, the personality traits were listed. 'Gentle, kind, intelligent, has a broad sense of humor, strong-willed, creative, friendly, open-minded.. likes dogs'.  
  
Hatori was amused. He turned his attention to the left side of the sheet and noticed a column of physical attributes. 'Long, light hair. Eyes: green, blue? Slender figure, gentle smile. Small nose, high cheekbones, long eyelashes, longing look in eyes'.  
  
Hatori was so amused, in fact, that he allowed himself to chuckle a bit. Since this was a rare occurrence, Shigure lifted his eyes to see what had amused his friend so much. He noticed the paper he was holding and smiled a bit under his breath.  
  
"What's so funny?" He scooted closer to Hatori and raised his eyebrows up and down in the teasing manner he often does.  
  
"You have quite an imagination," Hatori commented.  
  
"I have no idea what you mean by that," Shigure said innocently.  
  
"Come on. 'Likes dogs'? She is obviously some fantasy of yours."  
  
"Don't be silly, Ha-san!" Shigure waved his hand at him and his voice suddenly became very serious, ".. you know you're my only fantasy."  
  
Hatori rolled his eyes at him, wishing that he would finally grow out of this phase. "Save it for Ayame," he said, flatly.  
  
Shigure bit his lip to keep from saying the next thoughts that wondered into his head. Instead, he suggested, "Turn the page."  
  
Hatori flipped the page over to the back. There was a sketch of the woman and it was obvious to him that Shigure had spent a lot of time on it. Maybe that's why he didn't have any writing done; he did nothing but draw all day. "Interesting," he commented, flatly.  
  
"Too bad she's not real, ne?" Shigure grinned.  
  
"What if she were real? What would you do then?" Hatori said through a puff of smoke. "You know very well we're not allowed to fall in love. She's better off being a drawing."  
  
"Ah, Ha-san.." Shigure sighed and his smile faded. "I was only joking. Gomen."  
  
The two worked diligently the rest of the night, Hatori organizing and proofreading and Shigure desperately trying to come up with an ending. At about 4AM that same night, Shigure danced a happy little dance of success, holding up the completed manuscript for all to see. Hatori almost dropped dead on the way to his car.  
  
"Ha-san, you know you can spend the rest of the night here. It would be no problem at all.. my bed is big enough," Shigure winked at him.  
  
Hatori's eyebrow twitched. "Good night, Shigure," he said as he buckled up his seatbelt.  
  
Shigure sighed. "Alright, if you must go. Arigato. Good night."  
  
Hatori drove away and Shigure dragged himself back into the house. He sat down on the couch and considered rather getting to sleep would be worth it. Mit-chan would be there in an hour or two and he'd just have to wake up all over again. Before he could get to the pros and cons of this situation, he was out like a light. 


	2. Physical Attributes

Physical Attributes  
  
One eye slowly opened, blinked, and shut abruptly again. Too much sun. Shigure sighed and tried again. The same eye opened, blinked a couple times and finally adjusted itself. The second eye followed the same procedure. He smacked his lips together and realized he had a smoky taste in his mouth. That's what you get for smoking for six hours straight, he thought and dragged himself off the couch.  
  
Left foot, right foot, left foot, right foot..  
  
Shigure looked at himself in the bathroom mirror. That's the life of a novelist, he thought and poured some water over his toothbrush. He poked his face as he brushed his teeth and realized that the bags under his eyes aren't very attractive. He spit the toothpaste into the sink and washed his mouth out with water.  
  
He crawled over to the bathtub and almost collapsed on top of it. He picked himself up and wondered how long he's slept. He hoped that Mit-chan hadn't been knocking at his door all morning. Obviously, it wasn't that early since Yuki, Kyou and Tohru seemed to have excused themselves to school already.  
  
Shigure let the warm water run into the tub. The thought of a nice bath seemed heavenly to him. While the tub filled itself up, he made his way to the kitchen with dreams of a nice cup of tea. The kitchen was a disaster. He'd have to get Yuki and Kyou to start cleaning up their own mess. He sighed and picked up the kettle off the floor. He ran the water into the kettle which suddenly reminded him of the bathtub. He ran into the bathroom and was pleased that he made it just in time before the water spilled over the rim.  
  
He settled himself in the water, leaned back and closed his eyes. Mit- chan's angry face popped up in his mind and he immediately resolved that no more eye-closing will be done for the rest of that day. As if to snap him out of his happy place, he heard a knock on the front door. He sighed, got out of the tub and pulled on his robe.  
  
Shigure stood on the other side of the door, manuscript in hand, doing breathing exercises. He decided that the image of an angry Mit-chan in his mind was nothing compared to the real thing and closed his eyes. He swung open the door before he lost his courage.  
  
"It's finished! Gomen!" He held out the manuscript, his body bowed slightly, and his eyes shut as if there was no tomorrow.  
  
"Uh.. good.. but I'm actually here to tell you that the deadline has been postponed."  
  
Shigure let one of his eyes open slightly. If he had ever been embarrassed before in his life, this was definitely the time. He laughed nervously at the sight of the confused woman in front of him.  
  
"Where's Mit-chan?" He asked, probably more confused than she was. Thoughts of Mit-chan jumping off a tall bridge because of him crept into his mind.  
  
"She took the next three days off," the girl smiled gently and added, "Something about rather having to die than to see you again." She laughed.  
  
Shigure chuckled, a bit nervous. "Come in," he said and held the door open for her. She took a step forward and he suddenly remembered the kitchen. "On second thought," he rushed her out the door, "how about we have breakfast somewhere else?"  
  
"That's a nice idea.." she started, "but it's afternoon already."  
  
"Then we'll go out for lunch!" Shigure grinned and dragged her behind him.  
  
"Aren't you going to get dressed?" She asked, following him down the street.  
  
"I am dressed, silly!" He laughed and twirled around in his "writer's kimono".  
  
She laughed at his pathetic ballet skills. "Alright, if you say so."  
  
"By the way, I didn't catch your name?" Shigure seemed to have calmed down a bit as they both walked together towards town.  
  
"Akane," she said simply, not bothering to add in a last name.  
  
"Akane-kun!" Shigure called, making a song out of her name. "And of course you must know that I am the infamous Sohma Shigure."  
  
Akane smiled. "I simply can't imagine why Mit-chan so desperately warned me about you." She giggled a sarcastic little giggle and began skipping down the road, ahead of Shigure. He looked up at her and took some time to admit to himself that she was a very attractive woman. He also momentarily entertained the thought that he had met her somewhere before but he couldn't quite put his finger on it.  
  
"What are you talking about? Mit-chan loves me!" He caught up to her and grabbed her hand for her to match pace with him.  
  
"I got a distinctly different impression," Akane informed him without bothering to let go of his hand. They arrived at a nearby diner and made themselves comfortable at a table. A waitress came around to get their orders.  
  
"Just tea for me, thanks." Shigure told her, remembering his failed attempt back at home. "What about you, Akane?"  
  
"I ate. Nothing for me," she replied simply and waved away the request.  
  
The waitress looked strangely at Shigure. "..Right.." She said. "So.. only tea?"  
  
Shigure nodded at her and turned his attention back to Akane. "She looked at me as if I had an extra eyeball on my forehead."  
  
"Maybe they don't get many people here wearing robes." She perched an elbow on the table and rested her chin on her hand.  
  
"Akane-kun, please understand. It's a 'writer's kimono', all the great novelists wear them."  
  
"If you say so," she smiled and glanced out the window next to them. The waitress came around to them and placed a cup of tea on the table.  
  
Shigure glanced back over at Akane and focused his attention on the way her light hair reflected the rays of the sun. He was soon so mesmerized by it that he hadn't even realized she was speaking to him.  
  
"Your tea will get cold," she said.  
  
"It'll be fine," he assured her but took a sip anyway.  
  
"Well, I suppose since you're already finished with the manuscript then I can take it in anyway," Akane remarked, changing the subject.  
  
"Actually, I was rather glad to have that extra three days. It can't hurt to look over my writing since I did it in such a hurry last night."  
  
"How much.. exactly did you write last night?" She wondered.  
  
"The entire ending," Shigure answered, grinning sheepishly.  
  
Akane sighed. "Then maybe it might be a good idea to proofread it, after all. I'd be glad to help if you need it."  
  
"How generous of you! Why don't you stop by tomorrow at around the same time. The kids should be at school by then and it'll give me enough time to clean up after them."  
  
"You.. have kids?" Akane asked, puzzled that she hasn't heard about this before.  
  
"Iie! Not my kids! They just live with me and eat my food." Shigure waved the idea away.  
  
"Oh," she said and smiled at him, her green eyes tracing his face.. or were they blue? He couldn't exactly make up his mind.  
  
After a couple more pleasant, casual conversations in the diner, Shigure and Akane parted to go their separate ways. Shigure watched her walk up the opposing side of the street before he eventually started on his own way. He whistled and kicked a couple of rocks around as he retreated back to the house. 


	3. Personality Traits

Personality Traits  
  
Shigure swept around the kitchen, wiping away the slightest speck of dust. The floor shone and you could see your reflection in the countertops. Not to mention the spectacular job he did on the living room. Yuki stood in the doorway, staring at him in bewilderment.  
  
"What are you doing?" Yuki asked, allowing himself to step forward into the kitchen. Shigure dropped to the floor and checked his shoes for any sign of dirt.  
  
"Cleaning," he remarked, flatly.  
  
"I can see that but you only clean when Tohru's friends come over," Yuki pointed out.  
  
"I'm having a special guest over today." Shigure winked at him.  
  
"That explains it." Yuki sighed. "Say hello to Ayame for me."  
  
"Yuki-kun, I have no idea what you mean by that statement. It so happens that a lovely lady will be joining me for lunch today." Shigure replied, innocently.  
  
Yuki shrugged and grabbed his things. "We're leaving," he announced.  
  
"Bye-bye Yuki, Kyou, Tohru!" Shigure waved to them as they made their way out the door. "Wait, Tohru-kun! Your lunch!" He called her back when he noticed the small bag on the kitchen table. He ran out to meet her. He realized that she had the same idea as they bumped into each other in the doorway.  
  
"Ah, Shigure-san! Gomen!" Tohru apologized frantically and grabbed her lunch.  
  
"Don't worry about it," said the dog with a genuine smile on his face.  
  
"Hurry up, we're going to be late!" Kyou called to her from the street. He crossed his arms and frowned.  
  
Tohru turned to look at the impatient Kyou and a whole new set of worried looks appeared on her face. She said her good-byes to Shigure and joined the two on their walk to school.  
  
Shigure sat down on the ground and his tail wagged as he thought of meeting with Akane again. He began daydreaming but a pair of feet in his viewing range snapped him out of it.  
  
"Hi there," Akane knelt down next to the dog and scratched his ears. Overexcited, he leapt on top of her and started licking her face. "Alright, I get it.." She laughed and crawled out from under the dog. He ran inside through the ajar door and she could have sworn that he kicked it closed with his hind leg.  
  
She picked herself up off the ground and fixed her dress. Before she had a chance to knock on the door, Shigure slipped it open and stood there, grinning at her.  
  
"I didn't know you had dogs," she said as he led her in.  
  
"Just one. I take it you've met." Shigure called to her as he skipped over to the kitchen.  
  
Akane sat down on the couch in the living room and looked around the house. A moment later, Shigure's head popped out from the kitchen and assured her that it'll be just an instant longer. She smiled at him and thought about how long it took him to make the house so spotless.  
  
"Here we go," Shigure emerged from the kitchen, balancing a tray of tea and cakes.  
  
"Let me help you," Akane offered and took the try from him. She placed it on the coffee table and looked up at him. "What about the manuscript?"  
  
"Ah, yes! I'll go fetch that right now!" Shigure exclaimed and was out of the room in a flash.  
  
"Fetch?" Akane said to herself and scrunched her nose. She placed herself down on the couch and listened to him rummage through some things in the other room. She gazed down on the tray of tea and cakes and took a sip from her cup. She scrunched her nose again. Shigure finally emerged, triumphant, manuscript held high in the air.  
  
"Here is the brilliant piece of work," he said and handed it to her. She flipped through it as he plopped down next to her on the couch.  
  
"Do you have a summery written out?" Akane questioned.  
  
"Hai, it should be somewhere in the back, attached to the cover," he replied and searched through the pages. He eventually pulled out a paper and handed it to her. She started reading and he watched her expressions change as she came to the different parts of it. Her long eyelashes gently framed her eyes as her gaze moved around the paper.  
  
"Interesting," she concluded but was rather surprised to see him staring at her. She didn't know he was watching her as she read. Anyway, she decided to continue. "Although, the heroine in this story seems to be flawless. She likes everything and she's smart and beautiful. Everyone has faults and she can't be perfect."  
  
"You're right to a certain point, Akane." Shigure's lips curved into a suspicious little smile. "I made her to be perfect because she is my fantasy. She is everything I could possibly dream up so she is perfect to me."  
  
Akane sighed. "They're pretty words but not everyone who reads this book will hear them."  
  
"I'm content with that.. as long as you hear them." Shigure said and leaned back against the couch, stretching his arms out. He wasn't sure but he thought he saw her blush. "Besides," he added, "she isn't completely flawless... she doesn't like tea."  
  
Akane laughed and gave him a look as if to say that she's given up trying to convince him. "I suppose that is a fault, after all."  
  
A half-smile appeared on Shigure's face and he spontaneously asked, "Do you like dogs, Akane?"  
  
"Yes, I do. Yours; however, was a bit overfriendly," she countered and sat back, eye level to him.  
  
"You know, they say that a dog is comparable to his master," he told her, in a very matter-of-fact sort of way as if he had read it in some highly educational book.  
  
"Are you trying to say that you're overfriendly as well? I already got that impression," Akane giggled sarcastically  
  
"Just a bit," Shigure responded cleverly and very suddenly licked her hand.  
  
"Shigure! That was disgusting!" She wiped her hand and started laughing.  
  
Shigure laughed as well, until he noticed that they had an audience. He looked up to see Kyou staring at them in a very odd fashion.  
  
"I'm going to go back to school now.." Kyou announced and began walking out of the room with a rather stunned expression on his face.  
  
"Kyou, this is.." Shigure started but Kyou wouldn't let him finish.  
  
"Whatever it is, Shigure, I don't want to know." He stated and slowly but surely backed out the front door.  
  
"One of the 'kids'?" Akane asked.  
  
"The spunky one," Shigure replied. "He just leaves school whenever he feels like it. At least this time he decided to go back."  
  
"He seemed nice enough," she told him and picked herself up off the couch.  
  
"Ne? Then I guess you don't know him well enough," Shigure joked. "Leaving so soon?" He asked as he saw her reach for her coat.  
  
"Hai, I have some work of my own to do. We can meet again, if you'd like."  
  
"Of course," Shigure winked at her. "Same time, same place?"  
  
"I'll be here," she said and walked out the door. Shigure saw her out. He waved to her as he watched her walking away.  
  
Now, if you had been seeing this scene from some omnipotent point of view then you might have realized that Akane was walking the opposite way down the road from the way she walked the day before. If you had realized this then you might think it's a bit strange. Shigure didn't notice at all. 


	4. Editing

Editing  
  
Shigure happily hopped around the kitchen, looking for something to make coffee in. It was another lovely morning and he had just rushed Yuki, Kyou and Tohru out of the house at an astounding speed. Happy thoughts of seeing Akane again pranced around in his head. Suddenly, he stood at attention, his ears telling him that they heard a knock on the door. He squeaked and ran to open it.  
  
"Ha-san.." he said upon seeing the figure standing on the other side, "what a surprise."  
  
"If I didn't know better, I'd say you didn't want to see me." Hatori said as Shigure opened the door to let him in.  
  
"Maa, Don't be silly!" Shigure waved the thought away. "You know my heart leaps when you're around."  
  
Hatori sighed. He should have seen that coming. "I actually came to visit Yuki for his monthly checkup. He tends to avoid coming to see me."  
  
"Well, you actually just missed him but then again, you don't appear to mind seeing him at school anyway."  
  
Hatori raised his eyebrows and began walking towards the door again. "You're right."  
  
"Ah, Ha-san, just wait a moment. I was actually looking forward to talking with you." Shigure said, taking a step between Hatori and the door.  
  
Hatori examined his face just to make sure that he was joking. He decided that he could spare a couple of minutes and made himself comfortable on the couch. "What about?"  
  
Shigure sat down next to him, trying to hide his excited grin. He was actually a bit nervous saying this to Hatori, considering his thoughts on such topics. He knew; however, that it would be better for him to know sooner than later.  
  
"I know you're not going to want to hear this but nothing you say can talk me out of it... I've met someone," he announced, watching Hatori's expression for any sign of emotion.  
  
"Who is she?"  
  
"Her name is Akane and I can't seem to stop thinking about her." Shigure braced himself for a lecture.  
  
"Why haven't you told me about her before?" If Shigure hadn't known better, he'd say that Hatori sounded a bit hurt that he hasn't spoken of her yet.  
  
"I just met her two days ago.." he suddenly realized how absurd that made the situation sound. "But I feel so connected to her. She seems perfect to me, Ha-san. And I know how you feel about these things but.."  
  
Hatori wouldn't let him finish. "I say things that I don't mean sometimes." He hung his head a bit, keeping his eyes from meeting with Shigure's. "If you really feel so strongly about this woman then I wish you the best. I do; however, want to give you some advice. Show her who you really are and if she accepts you for it, then you can move on from there. If it gets to a very serious point where you feel the need to inform Akito about it then.. I'll make sure that you don't get hurt like I did."  
  
"Ha-san.." Shigure began, not sure rather he wanted to thank or comfort Hatori.  
  
"On the other hand," Hatori continued, "if she's not as accepting as you may believe, then we can end it quietly, without Akito knowing about it at all. If you need them, I will use my abilities."  
  
"Arigato, Ha-san!" Shigure flung himself on top of his friend, unwilling to mask his feelings with humor this time. He was incredibly grateful. "You don't know how much that means to me."  
  
"Shigure, the single greatest thanks would be if you got off me right now."  
  
A drop of sweat appeared on Shigure's forehead and he immediately removed himself. "Maa, Ha-san, you know you like it!" He joked.  
  
Hatori sighed and stood up. He simply ran out of things to counter that with. "I'm going to see Yuki now, I don't have much time until I have to be back at Akito's."  
  
Shigure sighed a disappointed little sigh. "And I was really hoping you could get to meet her today."  
  
"If she's as great as you make her sound then there will be plenty more opportunities," Hatori told him as they walked towards his car.  
  
"I suppose you're right.. besides, I wouldn't want you to get too jealous.. of her," Shigure winked at Hatori as he started up the car.  
  
"Good-bye, Shigure," he said after making an obvious attempt at rolling his eyes as far as possible. He drove away and Shigure stood in the middle of the road, waving to him in his regular goofy fashion.  
  
Shigure sighed contently and walked back to the house. Before opening the door, he had briefly wished that Akane would get there soon. He was nervous about seeing her today because he'd have to tell her about the Juunishi and he wasn't exactly sure what words to choose to let her know that he'll turn into a dog if she gets too close. Almost as if reading his mind, he suddenly felt a hand on his shoulder. He turned to find Akane smiling sweetly at him.  
  
"You know, I was just thinking about you.." Shigure said and added, ".. for the past twelve hours." He grinned at her.  
  
"Good to hear," she said and laughed. He slid open the door for her, which he proudly managed to salvage this morning from the wrath of Yuki and Kyou.  
  
"So, tell me all about your day," Shigure sat down on the couch and tapped the space next to him, signaling her to sit there.  
  
"Not much to tell," she said as she sat down in the designated spot. "You know this is my last day as a substitute for Mit-chan. She'll be back tomorrow to pick up the manuscript. How's the editing coming along?"  
  
"Eh.. well..," Shigure laughed and a drop of sweat appeared on his forehead.  
  
"Well, let's see it," Akane suggested.  
  
Shigure hesitated for a moment, wanting to tell her his secret before they start working. No words came to him so he nodded dumbly and walked out of the room. As he made his way to his bedroom, he thought about all the possible ways he could tell her. None of the words he thought of felt natural to him. He'd sound absurd if he just blurted it out but there really was no way to casually approach the topic. He fished out the manuscript which he hadn't worked on at all and strolled back into the living room.  
  
"Ta da!" He said and placed it on the coffee table in front of Akane. She picked it up and after a moment of going through it, gave him a very dissatisfied look.  
  
"You didn't edit anything at all?" She asked.  
  
"Writer's block." Shigure shrugged. He sat down next to her and she started telling him about the different possibilities for endings but he wasn't listening. A million ways to tell her about the Juunishi but every single one was wrong. He had to tell her before he could really be sure that they can be together. He hasn't ever spoken about it to anyone who didn't already know. He realized that it certainly isn't an easy thing to explain, especially to someone that he'd be afraid to loose because of it.  
  
"Shigure, are you listening?" Akane frowned at him.  
  
"Of course," he lied.  
  
"What did I just say?"  
  
Shigure's smile faded. He laughed nervously. She crossed her arms and looked very stubborn to him. "Gomen," he said, realizing he couldn't win.  
  
Akane sighed. "What were you thinking about so diligently?" Her expression softened and she even seemed to smile a bit.  
  
Alright, this is it. There is not going to be a better time to tell her and he knew it. Usually he was a very smooth talker but he was just completely stuck on this one. He stared at her, as if in shock, his lips moving but no words coming out.  
  
"Shigure, what is it?" Akane asked, started to worry about him. She's never seen him so nervous. In fact, she's never seen him nervous at all. This was definitely strange behavior.  
  
Shigure realized that words seemed to be getting him nowhere. He shut his eyes, in fear of what was about to happen, and kissed her. He figured it would be easier to explain once she had a visual. A moment later, he was still kissing her. He opened one eye and surveyed his hand which rested on her shoulder. He was stunned, just completely and entirely struck dead.  
  
He pulled away, dumbfounded. Why hadn't he transformed into a dog the moment he touched her? He couldn't even begin to explain this to himself.  
  
"Shigure.." Akane looked worried for a moment. "What's the matter?"  
  
"It didn't happen," Shigure mumbled to himself, only partially aware of her presence next to him.  
  
"It was only a kiss, Shigure." She wasn't exactly sure what was bothering him so much.  
  
Only a kiss? He's never been able to do that before and he had accepted the fact that he never would. He acknowledged the curse and understood it fully.  
  
"It's not that.." he said, his eyebrows scrunched in continuing confusion. Maybe the curse was broken? But how?  
  
"What's wrong then?"  
  
Shigure quickly came to the realization that above anything else, this was definitely a good thing. Even though he couldn't explain it, he could not deny that he was thrilled by it. "Nothing at all," he said and decided to kiss her again, just for kicks.  
  
He pulled away to make sure that he was still in human form. When that was confirmed, he couldn't help but laugh.  
  
"You're so strange!" Akane exclaimed and started laughing with him.  
  
"I like this," Shigure said and kissed her again.  
  
"I can tell!" Akane giggled in between another kiss. She thought his behavior was extremely playful and she couldn't help but be reminded of a puppy. "You know, I'd hate to break this up but I really should be going soon."  
  
"Maa, Akane-kun!" Shigure seemed to be heartbroken. "Why so soon?"  
  
"I have other work to do and so do you. Besides, we're not getting any done together anyway." She joked and laughed.  
  
Shigure pouted. "Come back soon, ne?"  
  
"Sure," Akane smiled and reached for the door. Shigure slyly inserted himself between her and the entrance and grinned at her. She sighed knowingly, then lifted her head to kiss him, more seriously this time.  
  
As she walked down the street, Shigure smiled at her and said, "You're more perfect than I could have imagined," not loud enough for her to hear. He didn't want her to, though. He'd have plenty more chances to tell in more romantic ways. After she left, Shigure did a happy little victory dance and pranced back inside. 


	5. Deadline

Deadline  
  
Shigure was having a good morning. He even woke up earlier to greet the new day with a bright smile. He danced around the kitchen, humming a little hum and washing the dishes. He had spent the remainder of the previous day boggling his mind on how he managed to kiss Akane without turning into a dog. He wondered if it worked for the rest of the Juunishi as well or if it was just for him. He thought about the possibility that maybe, by some bizarre reasoning, she was immune to the curse.  
  
Kyou dragged himself down the stairs, still in his pajamas, angry at the world for rotating every twenty-four hours. Tohru walked in as well, dressed and ready for the day like a ray of sunshine and immediately offered to do the dishes instead.  
  
"Tohru-kun, how nice of you!" Shigure beamed. Seeing this as an interesting opportunity to test his discovery, he quickly wrapped his arms around her. In a poof of smoke, he was standing on all fours, wagging his tail. Tohru stood still in one spot, dumbfounded.  
  
"Hey! What the hell?" Kyou seemed a bit upset.  
  
"Maa, Kyou-kun, it was just to test my hypothesis!" Shigure grinned his doggy teeth and strolled into the living room, contemplating what this meant. Tohru busied herself with the dishes and Kyou followed Shigure.  
  
Kyou's nose twitched. "You've been acting very strangely lately, old man."  
  
"Ne? How so?" Shigure said and unexpectedly turned back to human form. Kyou made sure to check that Tohru wasn't about to leave the kitchen at any point while Shigure was getting dressed.  
  
"I come home early one day and see you talking to yourself. As if that weren't enough, you.. licked the air? Now you're lunging yourself at Tohru, even though you know you'll just turn into a dog? Shigure, I'm starting to think that you're loosing it... I mean, more than before."  
  
Shigure sat down on the couch, slowly taking all this in. He didn't respond; he wasn't sure how to. Kyou made it sound as if Akane didn't really exist. He briefly entertained the thought that he has just imagined her.. but it was so real. That would make him insane and he knew that he wasn't. Then again, don't many crazy people think they're sane?  
  
Before he could get any further with this, there was a knock on the door. Aha! He'd prove to Kyou that Akane really did exist and, more importantly, he'd prove it to himself. He dove for the door and practically broke it in a frenzied attempt at getting it open.  
  
Kyou's nose twitched again. "That's exactly what I mean. You're never this excited to see your publisher."  
  
"Maa, Mit-chan, welcome back!" Shigure sang, although disappointed that it wasn't who he expected. Akane did say that Mit-chan would be returning today.  
  
"Three days. Three whole days. If it is not finished, you will pay dearly," she summarized her original threat, the three days of vacation obviously not doing much to relieve her stress.  
  
Shigure pulled out the manuscript, seemly from thin air. He was actually keeping it close to the door so he could impress Akane with the work he got done on it the night before. "All finished," he grinned.  
  
"Good!" Mit-chan smiled sweetly, revealing her other personality. She took the manuscript and began her walk away from her nightmare.  
  
A paper fell for the otherwise sealed manuscript and a breeze carried it to Shigure. He picked it up and examined it. It was the character profile of the beautiful woman that he had showed Hatori a few nights ago. He flipped it over to the back and looked at his drawing. The similarities were uncanny. Akane, he thought.  
  
"Mit-chan, just one more thing," Shigure called to her from the door. He took a couple steps forward, careful not to get too close.  
  
"Hai?" She said, keeping her smile in place.  
  
"I just wanted to thank you for getting such a great substitute for when you were gone," Shigure said, and winked at her.  
  
"What are you talking about?" Mit-chan placed her hands at her hips, impatient to get going.  
  
"Akane.. you send her didn't you?"  
  
"I have no idea who that is but, honestly, I don't care much. As long as you got the manuscript done, I couldn't care less who made you do it. Is that all?" She asked, checking her watch.  
  
"Hai," Shigure said, his grin fading. Mit-chan thought that she had never seen such a drastic change in his behavior before but decided that he wasn't worth any more stress and left.  
  
Shigure dragged himself back inside the house, past the still enraged Kyou, and to the bathroom. He locked the door behind himself and slouched over the mirror. He couldn't believe it. It made absolute sense but he knew he wasn't insane. Akane was perfect, more perfect than any human being could ever hope to be.  
  
Maybe the long hours of working got to him. Maybe it was really just an overactive imagination. It would explain why he didn't turn into a dog when he kissed her; because he didn't want to. It would explain why the waitress at the diner looked at him so strangely. He let out a frustrated laugh. Akane was a figment of his imagination; however real she may have seemed.  
  
Shigure splashed his face with cold water and looked back up at his reflection. "How dare you think you're allowed to fall in love?" He asked himself.  
  
  
  
[Yes, I know I know. There, there. I wanted to try out an anti-climax and dreams are so over done. So, I decided to just make Shigure crazy instead. Come on, you didn't really expect me to come up with some absurd reasoning for why Akane is suddenly immune to the curse, did you? I just don't work like that. Gomen if it was too much of a let-down ^_^] 


	6. Answers to Reviews

No, this isn't another chapter.. although I did think about writing one. Maybe a quick summary where Shigure has a conversation with Hatori afterwards. However, I'm pretty much making myself resist writing anymore. I actually wrote this in order to try out an anti-climax, but I'm glad that people liked it. Although, I see that there were some confusing aspects, so I figured that I'll discuss them a little bit here. I'll just go through the reviews, and if there are other questions after this then I'll add to this page.   
  
  
  
Ohimesama-  
  
Apparently, we share a favorite quote. ^_^  
  
  
drizzle-  
  
It was rather confusing, wasn't it? What I was going for with Shigure's character is kind of a double personality. As if there's more to him than what he shows most people. I made him a little more open around Hatori because I noticed that he acts more serious (in the anime) when they're alone together.   
  
  
ColbyWolf-  
  
I made the ending abrupt for the anti-climacic effect. You know how in a story, when some character is going through all these fantastic things and you're just dying to find out what's happening next.. and then they wake up? That's sort of the effect I was trying to go for, but I agree.. it could have used more explaination.  
  
  
Vadrozsa-  
  
She's a fragment of Shigure's overactive imagination. ^_^ Us writers are a bit crazy sometimes.   
  
  
Thank you everyone for the feedback! I appreciate it. Also, if it's just a quick question you can try me on AIM: TiggersPB 


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